Plant a Tree, Rescue a Forest for Earth Day 2010 on Saturday, April 17th
Here's a different Earth Day event, restoration of our national forests, and future carbon-capture capabilities.
Today urban trees are considered valuable infrastructure for the carbon they lock up in their wood, thereby reducing greenhouse gas, a major source of global climate change. Sustainable urban forestry is a seven step program from planning until the tree is recycled for urban lumber. American Forests reported at the turn of the 21st century that 43 percent of the nation's trees are in our cities, so the properties we looked for in our wild lands has shifted; watershed, recreation and wood products. Mid 2008 the Urban Forest Protocols developed by the Center for Urban Forest Research, Davis, California, were accepted by the Climate Action Registry and Air Resources Board as a means for recording and monitoring trees as a means of measuring greenhouse gas reduction. While 80-85 percent of urban trees are privately owned, they will still be registered by every municipality using up to date technology.
"Urban forest" means those native or introduced trees and related vegetation in the urban and near-urban areas including, but not limited to, urban watersheds, soils and related habitats, street trees, park trees, residential trees, natural riparian habitats, and trees on other private and public properties.
Since 1991, our volunteers have distributed and planted over 15,000 trees. This is something to be admired from a group of volunteers without staff. Individuals from around the world request memorial and honorarium trees to be planted for them. Paradise Beach Park, operated under the auspices of Marin County that today receives many of these trees as replacements for ones lost due to Sudden Oak Disease. The Acorn-to-Oak program at China Camp State Park is nearing completion. (See the link for up-to-date records of plantings and monitoring.) Collaborating with other San Rafael non-profit organizations, the City Council seated a Tree Advisory Committee this past spring.
We offer many ways for the public to volunteer. You can improve our urban natural green environments through:
